Safe and Sound
by ChoCedric
Summary: "I just don't want to let them go, Albus," Minerva whispered. "They're only children, and times are so dangerous. I wish we could keep them under Hogwarts' protection forever." McGonagall and Dumbledore have a chat over the class of 1978.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Safe and Sound

By: ChoCedric

"Ah, Minerva," Albus Dumbledore smiled as he answered the knock on his office door. "Do come in and sit down."

Minerva smiled back at her old friend as she walked into the Headmaster's office, which looked the same as it always did. The spindly instruments were all over the desk, and Fawkes sat on his perch, preening his feathers. She sat down in the chair across from Albus. "Hello," she said.

"And what brings you here?" asked Albus as he conjured cups of tea for both of them. "I imagined you would be getting ready for tonight's graduation. The class of 1978 – I can hardly believe my eyes."

"That is precisely what I came to speak with you about," replied Minerva, sighing heavily as she sipped at her tea.

"Why so solemn, old friend?" the Headmaster asked with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Minerva was silent for a moment, letting all of her emotions bubble within her. She was feeling a lot of things at the same time, but above all, she felt fear. Potent, powerful fear. And even though she knew Albus had an idea of exactly how she was feeling, she realized she had to answer his question verbally.

"I'm afraid," she said softly. "Albus, I'm so terribly afraid for them. What are we doing, sending them out there? They're just children, and times are so dangerous ... we're sending them off to die."

Albus gently laid a hand on his dear friend's shoulder, the twinkle in his eyes fading. "You need to have more faith in them, Minerva," he whispered back. "Yes, times are perilous with Lord Voldemort on the rise." Minerva shuddered. "But these children are wise beyond their years, and we need to let them make their own way. They have been sheltered at Hogwarts for these past seven years. Now they need to spread their wings."

"I know," sighed Minerva. "But I wish we could keep them under Hogwarts' protection forever. They're so innocent. They don't deserve to deal with the evils out there."

Her mind drifted to a certain group of students in particular. As a teacher, she knew she technically wasn't allowed to have favorites, but she couldn't help her heart giving a pang whenever she thought of these students. She thought of Potter, with his messy hair and bright, mischievous hazel eyes, the boy who had once been a bully but had now grown up into a young man whom she was incredibly proud of. And he and Evans were so, so much in love, and with times as dangerous as they were along with the fact that Potter was known to make impulsive decisions, she knew they would get married sooner rather than later. She thought of Remus Lupin, whose hardships as a werewolf would make it incredibly difficult to survive in all the prejudice out from under Hogwarts' walls. Black needed Potter and his friends to keep him sane; he clung to them out of boundless love and loyalty. And Pettigrew – she was particularly concerned about him. Once he got away from the shelter of the school, she knew he'd be lost, and she hoped his friends could help him find his way. She loved all of them dearly, and though she prided herself on being a strict, no-nonsense woman, she did have a soft spot for all of them, all of her precious children.

"I know," Albus said softly, breaking her out of her thoughts. "But they'll be okay, Minerva. They all will."

"I wish I could have the faith that you do," sighed Minerva. "I just hope it all works out in the end. I do know, though, that whatever happens, those children are going to make history."

Albus nodded his head in complete agreement. "And those who lose their way," he said, his eyes becoming glazed for a moment, "will hopefully find their way home. Those who always act for what is right are good, but those who act wrongly but then realize their mistakes and start acting for the better are the truly great."

"That is true," said Minerva, her mind wandering to another boy graduating tonight, a boy with greasy black hair and obsidian eyes. That boy would always be glancing at Evans, a look of longing on his face. From the look that Albus wore, she knew he was thinking of the same person. They had a feeling that he was going down the wrong path, but they had faith that eventually he would find his way back to the light.

"Merlin bless our children," whispered Albus, talking more to himself than to Minerva.

"Indeed," Minerva answered him anyway. "It just hurts, Albus. It just hurts that we have to let them go. But I know we must. They need to make their own decisions, to become the people they want to become. We have taught them all we can. Now they need to leave the nest and fly to their own destinations, wherever they may be."

As if to prove her point, Fawkes let out a long, trilling note. Dumbledore smiled as he said, "exactly," and reached over to stroke him.

The two then sat in companionable silence, drinking their tea and thinking about all that would come ahead of them. Minerva desperately hoped that Lord Voldemort and all the evil in the world would not touch the class of 1978, but she knew it was a futile hope. But she hoped that no matter how long their lives would be, they would live, truly live,, and make the most out of them. And she somehow knew she was witnessing the end of an era, but the beginning of a legend.

"Shall we go to the graduation ceremony, then?" Albus asked finally, getting up from his chair as Minerva got up from hers.

"Yes, let's." the woman answered, smiling at the friend she had known since she was a little girl. He smiled back as they made their way out of the office and into the school corridors.

Into the future.


End file.
